Extractions: Order by telephone, fax, or mail Price Information Heart failure occurs when the heart loses its ability to pump enough blood through the body. Usually, the loss in pumping action is a symptom of an underlying heart problem, such as coronary artery disease. The term heart failure suggests a sudden and complete stop of heart activity. But, actually, the heart does not suddenly stop. Rather, heart failure usually develops slowly, often over years, as the heart gradually loses its pumping ability and works less efficiently. Some people may not become aware of their condition until symptoms appear years after their heart began its decline. How serious the condition is depends on how much pumping capacity the heart has lost. Nearly everyone loses some pumping capacity as he or she ages. But the loss is significantly more in heart failure and often results from a heart attack or other disease that damages the heart.

Congestive Heart Failure Learn more about congestive heart failure, its treatment, and ways to cope with stress and the disease. Congestive heart failure. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, it can be frightening http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1486

MedlinePlus: Heart Failure Also available in Spanish. heart failure Tests ( North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology Association) Signs and Symptoms of heart failure ( American Heart Association) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartfailure.html

Learning About Heart Failure Learning About heart failure. Learning to live with heart failure may be easier if you understand what s happening inside the body. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=337

Extractions: Welcome to the latest update of the HFSA web site. Many of you are repeat visitors and will find the new system of navigation much different from our old look and feel. However, there are several new features on this web site to help find resources and information faster, be it a first time visitor or frequent visitor. Most notable changes are: The following is a brief description of the new categories and their respective sub-category content offerings.

Jon's Place Site Index Extensive database about heart failure, patientrun and patient-oriented. Message boards, chat, medications, surgeries, alternative and low sodium cooking are a few of the many topics discussed. http://www.jonsplace.org/

What Is Heart Failure? What is heart failure? heart failure is a condition initiated by impairment of the heart s function as a pump! heart failure is http://www.heartfailure.org/eng_site/hf.htm

Extractions: What is heart failure? Heart Failure is a condition initiated by impairment of the heart's function as a pump! Heart failure is a progressive disorder in which damage to the heart causes weakening of the cardiovascular system. It is clinically manifested by fluid congestion or inadequate blood flow to tissues. Heart failure progresses by inappropriate responses of the body to heart injury. Heart failure may be the sum of one or many causes. It is a progressive disorder that must be managed in regard to not only the state of the heart, but the condition of the circulation, lungs, neuroendocrine system and other organs as well. Furthermore, when other conditions are present (e.g. kidney dysfunction, hypertension, vascular disease, or diabetes) it can be more of a problem. Finally, the impact it can have on a patient psychologically and socially are important as well. Heart failure is a cumulative consequence of all insults to the heart over someone's life. It is estimated that nearly 5 million Americans have heart failure . The prevalence of heart failure approximately DOUBLES with each decade of life. As people live longer, the occurence of heart failure rises, as well as other conditions that complicate its treatment. Even when symptoms are absent or controlled, impaired heart function implies a reduced duration of survival. Fortunately, many factors that can prevent heart failure and improve outcome are known and can be applied at any stage.

Extractions: Animal Hospital of Casper - On Line Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Congestive heart failure is one of the more common heart diseases seen in dogs, especially smaller breeds. A variety of signs may be present with CHF. This disease is normally seem in senior or geriatric age dogs. A sometimes insidious chronic cough develops over time and the pet may exhibit reduced exercise tolerance. Veterinarians must use all resources to accurately diagnose heart diseases, starting with a comprehensive physical examination and history. Below are examples of actual normal heart sounds and a heart murmur. (return to Physical exam Click on the Heart to hear actual recording of " Normal Heart Sounds and Heart Murmur "! The murmur sound is most often a result of an abnormality of the heart valves. Chronic infections, including dental disease, can cause the heart valves to become irritated and scarred for life. This diseased valves do not close tightly and, therefore, the murmur can be heard. Poor valve closure creates high blood pressure which results in retention of fluids in the lungs (sometimes the abdomen, as well). Poor circulation from the heart to the other organs (kidneys, liver and brain) can result in deterioration of those organs systems depending on good blood circulation. These pictures show the differences from a Normal heart and a CHF heart with diseased valves.

Extractions: National Institutes of Health An estimated 4.8 million Americans have congestive heart failure (CHF). Increasing prevalence, hospitalizations, and deaths have made CHF a major chronic condition in the United States. It often is the end stage of cardiac disease. Half of the patients diagnosed with CHF will be dead within 5 years. Each year, there are an estimated 400,000 new cases. The annual number of deaths directly from CHF increased from 10,000 in 1968 to 42,000 in 1993 (figure 1), with another 219,000 related to the condition. CHF is the first-listed diagnosis in 875,000 hospitalizations, and the most common diagnosis in hospital patients age 65 years and older. In that age group, one fifth of all hospitalizations have a primary or secondary diagnosis of heart failure. Visits to physicians' offices for CHF increased from 1.7 million in 1980 to 2.9 million in 1993. More than 65,000 persons with CHF receive home care each year. In 1993, an estimated $17.8 billion was spent for the care of CHF patients in hospitals, physicians' offices, home care, and nursing homes as well as for medication. The financial and other losses of caregivers for these patients are large as well.

Extractions: Education Center Heart Failure Topics Menu Heart Failure Heart failure occurs when the output from the heart is no longer able to meet the body's metabolic demands for oxygen. Heart failure is an important cause of illness and death in dogs and cats. Congestive heart failure is the most common form of heart failure in small animals. Dogs usually get heart failure from mitral valve regurgitation. The mitral valve is the valve that separates the left atrium from the left ventricle. Regurgitation means that blood moves backwards from the ventricle to the atrium when the ventricle is contracting, instead of flowing out into the aorta and then the body. Mitral valve disease usually occurs from chronic scarring of the valve (often due to bacterial infection), or from dilated cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle becomes distended and incapable of properly transmitting the electrical current of the heart beat. Dilated cardiomyopathy is most often seen in middle aged or older large breed dogs, like Dobermans, boxers, and Great Danes. Heart failure from mitral valve scarring is more often seen in older, small breed dogs. Cats usually get heart disease related to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where the

Extractions: Heart Disease Diagnosis Accurate. When used properly by a trained physician expert, the 3DMP Electrocardiogram (EKG) System can be an excellent aid to help physicians achieve an accuracy much greater than the conventional 12-lead EKG. In a like manner, a much greater accuracy from 3DMP can be obtained over other non-invasive or semi-invasive diagnostic modalities currently available on the market. Physicians and insurance companies have come to trust it for the early detection of mild to moderate disease and the early warning of severe disease stages. It presents the clinician with an impressive alternative to other, less effective means of coronary artery disease (CAD) diagnosis, for example: the thallium stress test, the standard EKG/signal average EKG (SAEKG), and the echocardiogram. Timely. Time is a critical factor when it comes to heart diagnosis and treatment. 3DMP makes inexpensive, accurate, diagnostic aid possible within half an hour. Non-invasive. The 3DMP EKG system is harmless and does not require any surgery, medications, or painful procedures.

Index An indepth look at this disorder, discussing major causes, heart failure syndrome, treatment and procedures and many other topics. http://www.med.jhu.edu/heart/

Extractions: The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions has become a leading center for the treatment and study of patients with cardiomyopathy. The Johns Hopkins Cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure Practice is dedicated to excellence in patient care, research and education. We created this Web Site to describe the clinical developments as well as the members of the multidisciplinary team assembled at Johns Hopkins to fight cardiomyopathy and heart failure. No two patients with heart failure, cardiomyopathy or heart transplantation are identical. The appropriate treatment of individual cases varies greatly. The information expressed in this Web site should not be considered medical advice. Patients should consult their physician. All content is reviewed by staff of the Johns Hopkins Cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure Practice. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure Practice through the main cardiology office at 443-287-6720.

Extractions: Articles Departments Patient Information The morbidity, mortality and health care costs associated with congestive heart failure make prevention a more attractive public health strategy than treatment. Aggressive management of etiologic factors, including hypertension, coronary artery disease, valvular disease and excessive alcohol intake, can prevent the left ventricular remodeling and dysfunction that lead to heart failure. Early intervention with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with chronic left ventricular dysfunction can prevent, as well as treat, the syndrome. Several intervention strategies in patients with acute myocardial infarction can slow or prevent the left ventricular remodeling process that antedates congestive heart failure. The primary care physician must be alert to the need for aggressive intervention to reduce the burden of heart failure syndrome on the patient and on society. C ongestive heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome characterized by exertional dyspnea, fatigue and, often, peripheral edema resulting from left ventricular dysfunction. Although the extent of the abnormal function of the left ventricle can be quantitated, it is more difficult to measure the severity of symptoms; furthermore, the specific mechanism underlying the symptoms remains poorly understood. Since neurohormonal systems are often stimulated in the heart failure syndrome, activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the renin angiotensin system is often implicated in sodium retention, edema formation and some other symptoms of heart failure.